“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 NIV
“These things” refer to the entire letter. John has written this letter so that his little children will not be unsettled by the false teachers. If they believe in the name and person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, then they may know that they have eternal life. John doesn’t want us to hope so, but to know so. We can know because God’s testimony about His Son is trustworthy. Our faith must rest in Jesus Christ alone, not in anything or anyone else. If our faith is in Christ, then we have the inner witness of His Spirit that we are a child of God. We have the evidence in our lives that He has changed our hearts. We now believe the truth about Jesus. We obey God’s commandments. We love God and others. John wrote in his gospel “But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:32) His first letter was written so that we who already believe in the name of the Son of God would not be shaken by false teaching, but rather, “so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
If you don’t know whether you have eternal life, nothing is more important than to make sure. Go back and read again God’s testimony to His Son in the gospels. See the witness of the Spirit throughout the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. God’s testimony to Jesus is the foundation of our faith. Christianity is not just a psychological experience. It rests on this solid witness. Do you have that inner witness?
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, thank You that we can KNOW we are a child of God.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that our faith rests not only on the historical witness that You are the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, Saviour and Lord; but by Your Holy Spirit, You give us an inner witness. AMEN
I.B.R.A. Readings
Exodus 14:10-29
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